Entering the darkened arena of the Jacqueline du Pré
Music Building, and seeing a glowing white orb on
a table on stage a lady in the audience exclaimed
“It’s a séance!” It was a brilliant observation,
for Stimmung is more than just music, it’s
a kind of spiritualism.

The piece was written in 1968, a time of revolution
and new beginnings. Many thought it was “the dawning
of the Age of Aquarius”, when mystical values would
make the world a better place. Stimmung
thus captures the mood of shamanistic incantation.
Stockhausen was said to have been inspired by Tibetan
Buddhist chanting. By focusing on the inner reverberations
of sound, the idea is that the mind will be free
to soar above the physical aspect of singing. In
many cultures, similar chanting is used, often assisted
with peyote or other drugs to reach a mind altering
state.

The piece, thus, is a 70 minute rumination on a single
chord, B flat major, created for six voices. Words
come in short bursts – including Stockhausen’s own
erotic poems – but they don’t really matter except
as punctuation points along the journey. This music
deconstructs the idea of singing. Vowel sounds
are repeated over and over until they create a wall
of abstract sound that mimics some ancient, secret
language. Various techniques are used, such as
overtone singing, humming, nasal wails and so on,
further removing the result from convention. Sounds
weave back and forth between performers, patterns
repeating or changing on a sudden pivot. This very
abstraction means that everything depends on how
the performers relate to each other. As in chamber
ensemble, they have to be acutely aware of what
the others are doing, adapting their part in relation
to the progress of the piece.

Fortunately, the six performers are drawn from Theatre
of Voices, Paul Hillier’s specialist group for avant-garde
choral work. They have recorded choral music by
John Adams and Arvo Pärt. They also do a great
deal of medieval and Renaissance polyphony, which
also uses elaborate vocal techniques to create beauty
that transcends church ritual. Christian incantation
had a similar spiritual effect as Buddhist, or Hindu
chanting. Hillier himself worked with Stockhausen,
and sang Stimmung when he was with Singcircle.
An original member of the Hilliard Ensemble, his
feel for the intricacies of voice is impeccable.
This was a clear performance, each voice well balanced
and blended. Part of the effect is deliberately
visual, hence Stockhausen’s instructions that it
should be performed in semi darkness. Each performer
wears colour coordinated clothing, according to
voice type, which adds an element of natural theatre
to the proceedings. From time to time, a performer
will raise a hand: stylistically it evokes symbols
of acceptance and supplication. A piece like this
depends on atmosphere. Tonight, Theatre of Voices
lived up to their name and made it a credible experience.